The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Stacks of various blanks or panels are provided to an assembly plant for use on a vehicle. In one example, the panels are vehicle body panels such as a hood panel. The panels are separated from the stack one at a time so that each panel may be used in the manufacturing process. However, mill oil that is used when the panels are produced may form an adhesive bond between adjacent panels, making it difficult to separate each panel from the stack.
Air knives are used to force air between adjacent panels in an attempt to break an adhesive bond between the panels. However, depending on the strength of the adhesive bond, forcing air between the adjacent panels may not be adequate to break the adhesive bond. If the panels are made of a ferrous material such as steel, a magnet may be used to fan the edges of the panels and thereby break adhesive bonds between adjacent panels. However, if the panels are made of a non-ferrous material such as aluminum, using a magnet to fan the edges of the panels is unlikely to break adhesive bonds between adjacent panels. Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for improving the ease of destacking non-ferrous panels.